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In his "Letter to Can Grande," Dante attributes the concept of polysemy, which means "many levels," to his poem. l In the letter, Dante states: "For the clarification of what I am going to say, then, it should be understood that there is not just a single sense in this work: it might rather be called polysemous, that is having several senses" ("Letter" 99). This concept not only applies to the mUlti-layered construction of the Divine Comedy but also to its interpretation. Although most critics rely upon the "Letter," I find his defense of hierarchical interpretation in the "Four Levels of Interpretation" more useful. The combination of polysemy and hierarchical interpretation is key to this study of the poem.